Greenhouse construction.



J. PL M. FARQUHAR.' GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1910.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

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i 4 JWM/V7. m QNQJ m QU. v E f J. F. M. FARQUHAR. GRBBNHOUSE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATIONTILED APR. 30, 1910.

191179,434. 1 Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v' Jil), 1 A )Jill J. P. M. FARQUHAR. GRBENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1910.

1597109434:, Ptented Aug. 19, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lll/lll] JAMES F. M. FARQUHAR, QF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION.

Application ltl April 30, 1910. Serial No. 553,618.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented aeg. ie, reis.

To all 10h-0m 75 may concern Be it known that l, JAMES F. M. FAR- QUHAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, and Stat-e of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Greenhouse Constructiomvof which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a speoication, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

rli`his invention relates to greenhouses and has for its objects to provide a novel con- .struction in which the corresponding sash bars on opposite sides of the roof are tegral with each other, thus making an e2;- treinely stiff and rigid structure; t'o provide a novel way of hanging ventilating sashes so as to`obviate any danger of leaks around the sashes; and to otherwise improve the greenhouse construction, all as will be more fully hereinafter described and then pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein lt have illustrated some embodiments'of my invention, Figure 1 'is a perspective view of a portionof a greenhouse made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line m-w, Fi 1, showing one method of connecting the a jacent sash bars; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view through the peak of theroof; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail perspectiveview showing the manner in which the glass is sustained in place on the sash bars; Fig.

f3 is a cross section on the line g/-f1/, Fig. 3

l `ig..7 is a sectional view of a valley roof showing one way of heating the gutters so as toprevent the accumulation of snow or.l

ice therein, said view showing merely the sash bars and omitting the glass parting strip and Ventilating sashes; Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on the line lf-a, Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a detail view of a novel plant stand adapted for keeping the plants near the glass of the greenhouse; Fig.` 10 shows one form of sash bar construction which l find it conlvenient to use; Fig. 11 shows the Way in which this sash bar may be made; Fig. 12 shows anotherway in which .this sash bar may be made; Fig. 13 is a section on the line b-, Fig. 3. v The sash bars or rafters 3 of my improved greenhouse will preferably be made principally of iron, and one feature 'of my inventionl relates to the manner in which they are' made so that the opposed sash bars on opposite slides of the peak of the roof are formed from Athe same iron bar. shape o-f the sash bar may vary somewhat, but l prefer to make it of substantially the shape shown in Figs. 2, 5, 6 or 10. The body of the sash bar is made from a bar of iron rolled or otherwise formed to present the head 4, the web 5, and the laterally-extending wings 6 which form the drip gutter. Ai parting strip 7 of wood is supported on the head, and this may be arranged with lianges 22 so that the glass will rest on wood, as shown in Fig. 10, or'it may be arranged so lthat it may be used without the iianges, in which case the glass would rest on the head 4.

The cross sectional.

In making the greenhouse in accordance with my invention, the iron bars are bent at a point constituting the peak of the roof so as to present the two -sides' having the correct slope for the roof, and the lower ends of these iron sash bars will be anchored or embeddedin a cement foundation. Where the greenhouse is a single structure, as shown in Fig. 1, thelower ends of the sash bar may be embedded in a cement foundation wall 10, as clearly seen in the drawing. Where the roof is of the valley type, then the concrete foundation in which the lower ends of the sash bars are embedded would be in the form of a gutter 11, as shown in' Fig. 7, which would be supported on suitable posts 12 that might either be of concrete or any other material. r[his gutter llpcan be readily made from concrete by usual forms of the pro er shape, as will be understood by those skil ed in theart. lin the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the two ends of each sash bar are each bent, as shown at 13, so that the lower ends 14 thereof will run vertically, but this' is not essential to fthe invention.

The various sash bars or rafters 3 are tied together at the peak or ridge pole of the roof, and if desired may be also tied to gether at the saine point intermediate the ridge pole and the lower ends thereof. At the peak ofthe roof l place a ridge' pole comprising two members 15 and 16 which are to rigidiy' space the sash bars and hol them bolts 18.

screw threads.

made wlth the sash bars co-ntlnuous from one In the construction shown in Fig. 1 I have provided a purlin intermediate the upper and lower ends of the sash bars for tying them together. This is illustrated in -detail in Fig. 2 wherein each sash bar has extending therethrough and laterally therefrom screw-threaded rods 19, the adjacent rods of which are connected by the tubular member 20. The rods 19 will be inserted into the-sash bars before they are put into place, and as each sash bar is positioned, the connecting rod 20 may be put in place. This provides not only a suitable means for connecting the adjacent sashbars, but also a means by which the distance between the sash bars may be adjusted since the rods 19 are each provided with right andleft hand A greenhouse frame-thus side of the roof to, the other with the lower ends embedded in concrete foundation and connected at the peak, as shown, is extremely rigid and stron In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown the glass 90 as resting on the head 4 of the sash bars, it being understood, of course, that a layer of putty or other cushioning material will be interposed between the glass and the iron sash bar.

In Figs. 10 and 11 I have shown a different construction in which the parting strip'7 is formed with flanges on which the glass will rest so as to prevent .it from con-- tasting' with the iro-n. These two flanges are shown at 22 and they may conveniently be provided with a groove 23 to form a putty-receiving pocket. In Fig. 6 the parting strip 7 is secured to the sash bar by means of screws 24, while in Fig. 10 I have shown the flanges of the "parting strip assecured in a groove formed in the upper side of the metal sash bar. The sides 25 of the flanges are inclined and the groove 26 in which the sash bar is received is dove-tailed ISOv ' the sides of the grooves.

so that the parting strip will be firmly held in place without the use of screws. Figs. 11 and 12 show two Ways-in which the parting strip may be introduced into the groove. In Fig. 12 the iron sash bar is made with the fiat head, as shown, and the parting strip isY placed thereon and subsequently the edges 27 are folded over so as to constitute In Fig. 11, the sash bar is made with a groove 26 having straight sides, as shown in full lines, and after the parting strip is inserted-into the groove, the sides 28 thereof are -forced together, as shown in dotted lines, so as to give the groove a dove-tailed shape and lock the parting strip therein.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 6 I have shown a cap 29 secured to and covering the parting strip and overlying the glass 90, and if desired t-he space beneath this cap may be packed with asbestos or any other suitable cushioning material, as shown at 30. A

For holding the glass in position on the sash bars I employ projections extending laterally from the parting strip and adapted to engage the under edge of each pane of vlocated sufficiently above the glass-supporting iange to permit a pane of glass to be inserted under it, and they are so placed that they will engagethe lower .edge of each plane of glass. In laying the glass, the upper edge of the pane will be slipped in under the projections 31 until the lower edge o-f the glass will dro-p down above the next lower projection, and in this way the projections hold each pane of. glass from slipping down, and also hold the upper edge of each pane of glass against the glass-supporting ange. lower edges of the panes and thus 'prevents them' from rising. above the projections.

My impro-ved greenhouse will be1 provided with the Ventilating sashes 33 in usual manner which are pivoted at the top of the roof near the ridge pole.l In ymy invention, however, these Ventilating sashes are so4 pivoted that when they are closed there will be no danger of any leak occurring around them. As herein illustrated the ridge pole member 15 has-thereon a sheet metal cap 34 which extends longitudinally thereof and which is Wider than the ridge pole so as to present the overhanging sides or wings 35 that are preferably bent downwardly slightly. The Ventilating sashes 33. are hinged to these wings 35 by suitable hinged members 36 that are secured to the sashes at a distance from the upper edge thereof.

The construction is such that when the sashes are closed the upper edges engage and fit tightly against the under side of the The cap 29 engages VAthel` overhanging wings 35 and thus a perfectly 'tight joint is formed at this point which will prevent any water from leaking into the greenhouse around the upper edges of the sashes 33.

In a greenhouse construction of the "valley type, yit frequently happens that the snow and ice will accumulate in the gutters to such an extent as to endanger the glass and to prevent this I have herein shown means for heating the gutters suficiently to melt the snow and ice as it gathers-therein. Where the gutters are made of Lot/0,434.

l concrete, as herein illustrated, 1 propose to provide each oftheln with a longitudinally#Y extending chamber 40 through which a heating pipe 4:1 may pass so that steam or hot water or other heating medium may be circulated through the chamber 40. 1n this way it is possible to heat the gutter sufliciently to melt the snow and prevent it from accumulating therein. r1`he chamber 40 can very easily be made in the concrete gutter at the time it is molded by placing in the mold a pipe 42, the interior of which will form the chamber 40.

I have also shown a plant st-and adapted to support plants so that they can always be placed at a` certain distance from. the glass regardless of the size of the plant. There are some special plants that can only be successfully `grown at a certain distance from the glass, and as the plants grow up' wardly, this distance can be preserved only by gradually lowering the pot or ground in which the plant is' growing. 1n my present invention 1 provide a platform 50 which is capable of vertical movement so that it may be placed at any desired distance from the glass. As herein shown, this platform is lreceived between two vertical guides 51 and is provided with two or mo-re depending rack bars 52 that mesh with pinions 53 on a shaft 54 that is journaled in the standards 51 so that by turning the shaft the plants can be placed at any desired elevation. The rack bar may be locked in its desired position by a locking'pawl 56 adaptv ed to engage one of the pinions 53, and the shaft may be turned in any suitable way, as by means of a crank handle 57. 1 have herein shown the table as provided with a pluralityof rotatable plant supports 60, each one of which is adapted to contain a flower pot 61, as shown. rLlhese rotatable plant supports are each preferably provided with afsprocket wheel and the sprocket wheels mesh with a sprocket chain 63 so f `that by moving the chain the plant supports will be turned slightly. 1n this way it is possible to turn the plants around as necessary in order to present all sides of the plant to the sun. This plant stand forms no part of my present `invention.

1n the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the greenhouse is provided with additional ventilating sashes 64 which are hinged to the sides of the roof nearthe lower ends thereof. The manner of hinging these ventilating sashes fis somewhat similar to the manner in which the Ventilating sashes 33 are hinged, that is the sashes have connected thereto hinged members 65 situated at a distance from the upper edge of the sashes and pivotally connected to a strip or support 66 which overhangs the upper edge of the sashes and is spaced somewhat from the 'said sash bars,

sash bars, said strip being rigidly secured to the sash bars as `will be evident.

67 are drip gutters to take the drip from i the inside of the Ventilating sashes.

While 1 have illustrated some embodiments of my invention, 1 do not wish to be limited to the construction shown.

1 find that aconcrete made with oil cinders and sand forms an eflicient concrete for use in greenhouse construction, although any other suitable co-ncrete mixture might be employed.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Y 1. 1n greenhouse construction, the combi'- nation with continuous sash bars extending from the lower edge of o-ne side of the roof to the peak and down to the lower edge of the other side of the'roof and provided with glass-receiving flanges, glass sustained by and a two-part ridge pole at the peak of the roof between the two parts of which the sash bars are received.

2. 1n greenhouse construction, the combination with a plurality of sash bars each bent centrally to form two portions at an angle to each other and situated with the bent part at the apex of the roof and the two portions .constituting the rafters for the` sides of the roof, of glass sustained by the sash bars, and a two-part ridge .pole, one part having notches in which the 'sash bars are received.

3. 1n greenhouse construction, the combination with sash bars extending continuouslyfrom the lower edge of oneside of the roof to the peakof the roof and thence to' the lower edge of the other side of the roof, of'a cement foundation in `which the lower ends of the sash bars are embedded, a notched ridge pole member at the peak of the roof in the notches of which the sash bars are received and a second ridge pole member secured to the first and overlying the notches therein.

4. 1n greenhouse construction, the combination with sash bars extending continuously from the lower edge 0f one side of the roof to the peak of the roof and thence to the lower edge of the other side of the roof, of a cement foundation in which the lower ends of the sash bars'are embedded and a twopart ridge pole at the peak of the roof between the two parts of which the sash bars are received.

5. 1n greenhouse construction, the combination with integral continuous sash bars extending from the lower edge of one side of the roof to the peak of the roof and thence to the lower edge of the other side of the roof, of two ridge pole members at the peak of the roof between which the sash bars are received.

6. In greenhouse construction, the combination with integral continuous sash -bars extending from the lower'edgey of one side of the roof to the peak of the roof and thence to the lower edge of the other side of the roof, of two ridge pole members at the peak of the roof between which the sash bars are received, one of said members being notched to receive the sash bars.

7. In greenhouse construction, the combination with continuous sash bars or rafters extending from one side to the other of the roof, of av ridge pole .having openings through which the sash bars extend, a sheet metal cap plate covering the ridge pole and projecting beyond the same on each side thereof, and Ventilating sashes hinged to the overhanging edges of the cap plate.

8. In greenhouse construction, the combiextending from one side of the roof to the v other, of a ridge pole having openings through which the sash bars extend, a sheet metal cap plate covering the ridge pole and projecting beyond the same on each side thereof, and Ventilating sashes hingedto the overhanging edges of the cap plate, the upper edges of the sashes contacting with the under side of the projecting portion of the cap plate when the sashes are closed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES F. M. FARQUHAR. 

